1. What is the narrator’s purpose in writing these “confessions”? How do you know?
2. For Rousseau, what is the relationship between feeling and thinking?
3. How does Rousseau describe his childhood? What significance can we draw from this description
4. Why do you think Rousseau chooses to include the anecdote about stealing from his employer?
5. Using your own language, how would you describe the narrator, given his self-presentation in The Confessions?
For Rousseau, what is the relationship between feeling and thinking?
Rousseau believes that feelings come first before thinking and using reason in life. He developed his feelings as a young child with his heart and said he felt everything. A child normally is not capable of comprehending the complex aspects of a situation but they can decide on whether or not they feel good or bad about it. Rousseau holds feelings things in high regard because it is more impactful rather than conceiving thoughts about a situation. This goes with his style of writing under the Romanticism era because Romantics value the heart and its feelings in contrast to Enlightenment thinkers who try to reason and question the ways of life.
2. For Rousseau, what is the relationship between feeling and thinking?
Rousseau makes a clear demarcation between feeling something and thinking something. He says that as a child, he could feel before he could think. He had emotions and he knew how he had to feel in certain situations but did not attribute any reason to the way he was feeling. Hypothetically, he was thinking with his heart rather than his brain which brings us to the genre of Romanticism which emphasizes on feelings rather than reason. A feeling is a pure form of emotion while a thought is one’s values bestowed on that same emotion.
Why do you think Rousseau chooses to include the anecdote about stealing from his employer?
I think the reason that Rousseau chooses to include the anecdote about stealing from his employer is that he wants to completely confess himself as the title “Confession” indicates. I believe by revealing one of the most shameful things that Rousseau had done in his life, he is able to free himself from his burden which he holds secretly in the bottom of his heart. In the text, he describes his stealing experience as ” unconquerable shame, that prevailed over everything and was the cause of all my[his] impudence; and the more criminal I [he] became, the more my[his] terror at having to admit it made me [him] bold.” This is the best revealing of his internal conflicts which he could never overcome unless he freely opens to public and confesses. I also believe that he is unable to hide his true feeling in this text because this confession is not the evidence which go against the things that he had done immorally, but rather serves as a mean to show his personal experience which causes him become who he is as an unique person. From this point, I understand that he does not care much of what other people say about him, but rather how he feels about himself. As showed in the end of this text, I can see the changes after he revealed his crime. He is relaxed because he is emotionally and psychologically free now. What I found interesting is that he had described himself as a timid person, which I believe is one of the reasons that he dared not to tell the truth when he stole the ribbon. However in the end of his confession, he is able to overcome his timid and show his true nature.
Rousseau was known as a brilliant writer for his award winning books on his political and educational philosophies. Rousseau’s second major publication was “Emile”, this contained ideas about child education and the importance of developing their five senses naturally; in their individual ways and experiences. His influence from “Emile” created the belief that God speaks to the people through how they perceive the environment around them. This idea was called “natural religion” and it was ordered to be banned and burned because it represented the end of the Bible’s influence. The French government not only wanted to burn and ban “Emile” they wanted Rousseau arrested.
After deciding on exile, Rousseau returned home to France where he attempted a new life. The temptation of theft overruled his desire for dignity, and he stole his Madame’s ribbon upon her death and blamed it on another servant. With years of his negative reputation lingering and his new guilt of theft, Rousseau felt like he needed to tell his side of the story. Rousseau narrates “Confession” because he wanted his audience to understand his honesty and sincerity. Being able to write his apology and admit to his theft was a relief on its own. Rousseau admits to not telling a soul about his theft, and hoped that readers would see his vulnerability as a sign of strength and put all rumors about his life to rest.
For Rousseau, what is the relationship between feeling and thinking?
According to my judgement, Rousseau considers feeling and thinking to have an inverse relationship. By this I mean that is you try to rely solely on reason, you’ll ignore your feelings. The same applies viceversa, is you try to rely solely on feelings, you will not reason. When you increase one, the other decreases. Rousseau believes that we experience feelings more naturally than reason. In his text, The Confessions, Rousseau writes, “I had feelings before I had thoughts.” With this line he is explaining how, as a child, he was able to experience feelings even before he was able to think rationally. This shows that Rousseau has a preference for feelings rather than thought.
For Rousseau, what is the relationship between feeling and thinking?
Rousseau makes the argument that as humans we feel way before we can think; exemplifying this by giving his readers insight to his education as a child. He says that he does not recall ever learning to read, but remembers vividly the feelings that accompanied it. He names it the first time he has uninterrupted consciousness of himself. Seeing as Rousseau was a romantic writer, it is also safe to assume that he believed feelings should weigh heavily on thoughts.
Why do you think Rousseau chooses to include the anecdote about stealing from his employer?
In Rousseau’s “Confessions”, he was able share about the time that he had actually stole from his employer after she passed. After she died from breast cancer, Rousseau had stolen a ribbon his employer used to have. Once he had it in his possession, all he had on his mind was giving it to a girl that he liked named Marion who was working as a cook for his employer. Unfortunately for Rousseau, he was caught with the ribbon and had to fess up. Instead of telling the truth and taking the blame, he said that Marion was the one that game him the ribbon. When Marion was begging Rousseau to tell the truth, he just kept saying that it was Marion who stole the ribbon. At that point, Marion told Rousseau that she wouldn’t want to be in shoes even though she was the one that was going to be punished. The reason why Rousseau included this in his “Confessions” is because for years and years all of his guilt just built up inside of him and he thought that this was the right time to come clean and let everyone know what he had done. I’m sure after he made that confession, a huge amount of weight was lifted off of his shoulders.
1. What is the narrator’s purpose in writing these “confessions”? How do you know?
The narrator’s purpose in writing these “confessions” is telling readers what the real world is. Rousseau’s confession, and his unique life experiences, thoughts, feelings, and behavior vividly demonstrate to the readers, which influences readers to think and question about the human being and the society that we live in. In “confessions”, Rousseau is not just telling what he did, but guiding us. When we feel pretentious, we can see our faults through “Confessions”. When we feel loss, we can still find hope.
Why do you think Rousseau chooses to include the anecdote about stealing from his employer?
As I read through the “Confessions” I had a pre conceived notion that Rousseau’s reason for writing was somewhat selfish. I think that this anecdote (for me) validated that thought. I was waiting for a moment like this one in the text where he reveals a deep dark secret that affected him negatively over the years. The reason he included this part of his life story was because he needed to get it off his chest to make himself feel better. He validated the title of his writing as well.
1. What is the narrator’s purpose in writing these “confessions”? How do you know?
Narrator’s purpose in writing these ” confessions” is that he means to confess everything of him, his past, evil side and good side of his personalities and what evil things he had done to others. in the story, he confessed everything, even the anecdote about stealing from his employer. He told us a sad experience of his childhood, and how his mother was died after giving birth to him. He carried such sin all his life and later his dad ran away from him, and leave him alone. He is not afraid to confess any of his experiences or past, because he believes that he is different than anyone else. he ventures to believe that he was not made like any that exist. He isn’t ashamed of his past or any evil side that has existed in his personalities. He accepts everything he is born with because it is what makes him himself. It is true man of him.
4. Why do you think Rousseau chooses to include the anecdote about stealing from his employer?
Rousseau says something in the beginning of his “Confessions” that he would be attempting something never done before. I think he meant that he would be attempting a true autobiography that would show his true self, good and bad included. He decided that he should leave it all out in the open and expose his secret that he had stolen the ribbon. Furthermore, I believe there was also a personal reason for him to tell others of this secret because it had been haunting him for years. He probably wanted to tell others so that he could finally get this secret off his shoulders. The burden was not only his to carry afterwards.
What is the narrator’s purpose in writing these “confessions”? How do you know?
I think the narrator’s purpose in writing these “confessions” is that let us know what are the good and the bad in our life. For example, in my opinion, people who admire themselves, they can realize their faults through read these confessions. On the other hands, people who depress or despair, they can catch pleasures and hopes through read it. These “confessions” included everything from Rousseau’s life even it is false moves. Rousseau sets out to share the good and the bad from his real life. I think Rousseau wanted to write very unique piece because this kind of piece was nonexistent.
4. Why do you think Rousseau chooses to include the anecdote about stealing from his employer?
Rousseau could’ve claimed that he was going to write a truthful autobiography and then cut out all of the unsavory bits. By including that anecdote he becomes more mortal and real. Everyone sins, everyone has stolen, and Rousseau is no better than the rest. Rousseau used this as a means to confess his misdoings (hence the name, “Confessions”.) It can also give comfort to the reader, realizing that famous, well regarded people can make the same mistakes.
Why do you think Rousseau chooses to include the anecdote about stealing from his employer?
The name of the piece is a good indicator of the crime Rousseau committed. He includes this anecdote to release the burden he has been holding onto himself for years. He realizes from the moment he blamed Marion that his punishment of the burden of a lie will be longer than the punishment given to Marion. He lets the reader hold the burden of his lie and sets himself free of it. This is the main purpose of including the story of him stealing, to get the burden off his chest and confess.
For Rousseau, what is the relationship between feeling and thinking?
I think Rousseau is trying to show us that sometimes what we feel is not always what we should be thinking. Many times through our experiences we feel something but in reality that is not always true in our logic of thinking. Rousseau was feeling things with his heart and just flowing with it he didn’t attribute any logical feelings in his brain. I think he wants to show us how powerful it is when we feel something and make decisions solely based on our emotions. Which is clearly why he is considered a romantic writer, this period deals with love and passion. These feelings mainly come from our hearts and drive to love something else.
For Rousseau, what is the relationship between feeling and thinking?
Throughout confession Rousseau has demonstrated that feeling comes before thinking.He argues that we must feels what’s right and wrong to know about the world. Feeling is very nature feeling of human beings and it helps us to learn the essential meaning of life.
For Rousseau, what is the relationship between feeling and thinking?
Rousseau believes that feelings come before thinking. As for the relationship of both, it seems like when one increases, the other decreases. As a child, Rousseau discusses how he could feel everything first. He believes that feelings hold more value than thinking which is why his writing goes under the theme of Romanticism. This theme is described as valuing old ways and remembering them rather than those who think and rationalize everything.
For Rousseau, what is the relationship between feeling and thinking?
Rousseau thinks that feelings come before thinking. The Confessions is the work considered most responsible for Rousseau’s frequent accreditation as the father of the romantic movement, for the degree to which he emphasizes the importance of subjective, individual, and sensory experience of the world. The feeling gives us the nature way to experience the world.
For Rousseau, what is the relationship between feeling and thinking?
Rousseau thinks that feelings come before thinking. Because Rousseau thinks when we are in childhood, we do not have any logical knowledge in the brain. We do things based on our feeling. What is wrong. What is right. The feeling is like the nature way to experience the world. So the feeling is more reality than the thinking.
But in my opinion, after you are experiencing into the society, the thinking is before the feeling. Because the feeling is not pure. The feeling always mix with the emotions and desire.
For Rousseau, what is the relationship between feeling and thinking?
Rousseau thinks that feeling comes before thinking. He knew as a child that he could feel everything. We can see that Rousseau believes that feeling is more important than thinking because our actions are backed by our feelings. Feeling is reality and we cannot escape from it.
How does Rousseau describe his childhood? What significance can we draw from this description?
His childhood was not the best his mom his mom died at an early ae for him. He was a mischievous young man that he urinated in his neighbor’s pot. The significance was to see how he was going to grow up. When he was being spank by his nanny he gained his first pleasures of woman desire of it. As he grew older he craved him being spanked by woman. Something that seems to represent the things that happened in our childhood leads to desires as one becomes an adult.
What is the narrator’s purpose in writing these “confessions”? How do you know?
The purpose of confessions is to demonstrate to people that no one is perfect. also to encourage people to be their true self. The story is implying people always hide who they they truly are because of how society judges them. The narrators writes about the good and also the bad he did in his life time which in this time period was unheard of. It also gave the narrator peace of mind.